Halloween is tomorrow, so we thought today we'd say "trick or treat" and look at some common misconceptions (tricks) and benefits (treats) associated with being an American School student. First, sometimes people are leery about enrolling because they don't know if we're accredited. In fact, we're accredited by MSA-CESS, Ai and NCPSA and recognized by the State of Illinois as a non-public high school. Second, sometimes people are afraid of homeschooling because they think their children will have to work all by themselves and have no support from us. Not so. We have qualified instructors who grade students' exams and are available to answer students' questions along the way. We also have an entire staff ready and willing to answer a variety of requests from students and parents and give you outstanding service. Third, sometimes people might think there are hidden fees along the way. Again, this isn't true. Nobody likes hidden fees, and our tuition includes the cost of all study materials, including textbooks for our paper-based courses. We have a monthly payment plan and a generous refund policy if you are not satisfied with the education we provide you. And finally, sometimes people are scared of homeschooling because they think they have to do things on a certain schedule. One of the biggest treats you'll receive after you enroll is that you work entirely on your schedule at at your own pace. You can take as much or as little time as you need to complete a unit, an exam and a subject. It's entirely up to you. It would be a real treat for us to serve you as you work toward your high school diploma. You won't have a ghost of a chance at success without one, so enroll today!

Long-time blog readers know that Danica McKellar pops up from time to time in this blog. In a recent People magazine interview, Danica described homeschooling her son, saying, "I’m homeschooling him, so I get to experience all of his little improvements, and I get to see them in real time.” Danica's son is only 5, but her statement applies to parents of American School students too. Whether you're new to homeschooling or are a homeschooling veteran, you'll notice those little improvements, and maybe some big improvements too, as your child progresses through his or her American School courses. We offer those courses in online and paper-based formats, and we do that so that students can learn in the way that is most comfortable to them. Enroll today and let us help your child or children earn an accredited high school diploma!

American School's 118th Annual Meeting of Trustees and Corporate Members will take place later today. It is a time to review last year's accomplishments and challenges and plan for 2016 and beyond. We will have a recap of today's events in a future blog.

Today we welcome American School's Board of Trustees to our office. They come from all corners of the United States and are here in advance of tomorrow's annual meeting. We are grateful for their many years of dedication to American School and their decades of educational experience and expertise. Check back later this week for more details about tomorrow's annual meeting.

It's October 23, and the late Johnny Carson was born on this date in 1925. He revolutionized late-night television by hosting The Tonight Show for 30 years from 1962-1992. Today some of his most memorable interviews, monologues and sketches have been compiled into a popluar series of DVDs. Even though most of our students weren't even born yet when he retired, we're guessing that they would find these clips just as amusing as their parents or grandparents did when they originally aired. At the beginning of every show, sidekick Ed McMahon would introduce the host by saying "Heeeeere's Johnny!" so today is a good opportunity to say "Heeeeere's what you'll receive after you enroll and become our student". You'll get accredited high school courses in online or paper-based formats, whichever one is your preferred method of learning. You can even do online exams in many of our paper-based courses. You'll get caring student service and assistance whenever you need it. You'll get low tuition and a monthly payment program. You'll get credit for courses completed at another accredited high school. Finally, you'll get the ability to work when and where it's convenient for you. That means if you want to work during the day, you can, but if you want to work while Johnny Carson's successors are on late-night television you can do that instead. You don't need to be Carnac the Magnificent to see that American School offers the accredited high school courses you need at a cost you can afford! Enroll today!

The September-October All American newsletter is now available. Inside you'll hear from our new principal, learn about other personnel changes, read about our latest online and paper-based courses, see pictures of seven employees who recently celebrated milestone anniversaries and much more. If you like what you see in this newsletter, we invite you to visit our Community page to see an archive of All Americans going back to 2011. You can also be a part of future newsletters by emailing us with your story. We look forward to hearing from you!

It's October 21, and on this date in 1833, Alfred Nobel was born. He was a Swedish scientist who invented dynamite and held 350 patents, and the wealth he accumulated from his career helped create the Nobel Prizes, which are awarded yearly for outstanding achievement in chemistry, economics, literature, medicine, peace and physics. American School is proud to offer online and paper-based courses in many of those disciplines. We can't guarantee you'll win a Nobel Prize, but we can guarantee that you'll learn valuable information and have the support of qualified instructors and friendly staff as you work toward your accredited high school diploma. Enroll today!

Recently the publisher of the textbooks for our paper-based Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 courses informed us that those textbooks are no longer available. As we have in the past when we were notified of similar situations with other textbooks, we will keep a limited supply of each textbook and study guide in our warehouse in case students currently enrolled in our paper-based Spanish 1 or Spanish 2 courses need replacement copies, but from today forward, we are not able to enroll any additional students into paper-based Spanish 1 or Spanish 2. Students with these courses pending in their programs will be contacted about this situation, and these students will be offered the comparable online Spanish 1 or Spanish 2 course at no additional charge. We hope that many of you will be pleased with this change because online world language courses through Rosetta Stone immerse students into the language and allow them to be thoroughly engaged in learning by speaking, listening, reading and writing the language in a fun and challenging way. On the other hand, we know that many students prefer to learn by more traditional means. If you have strong feelings one way or the other, please let us know by sending us an email. Feedback from our students, parents and school officials is very important in helping us provide the courses you want and need, and if enough people demand it, we will investigate designing new paper-based Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 courses. Thank you for your cooperation.

It's been a busy summer at American School, and you'll be able to read all about it in the September-October All American newsletter which should be available online later this week. You'll meet our new principal and those employees who are celebrating milestone anniversaries. You'll also read about new courses and policies and much more. As always, we'd like to feature our students and graduates in the All American newsletter, so please contact us if you'd like to be included in a future edition!

It's October 16, a date set aside every year to celebrate National Boss's Day. In our 118-year existence, American School has had only 7 presidents, but we've had many more bosses than that. Each of our departments has a supervisor who manages his or her staff and makes sure things run as smoothly as possible. It's critical that things run efficiently because we pride ourselves on offering caring student service so that our students can learn as effectively as possible. In a sense, you can celebrate today too because you'll be your own boss after you enroll. You can set your own schedule and work when and where it's convenient for you. It's one of the many benefits of becoming an American School student, and all of us, from the bosses on down, will be here to support you every step of the way.